


Wintershock First Times Challenge Fics

by Akabit



Series: An Ethical Dilemma [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Asexual Character, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-20
Updated: 2015-10-02
Packaged: 2018-04-22 14:32:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 13,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4838963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akabit/pseuds/Akabit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of firsts in the Ethical Dilemma universe.  Written for the Wintershock Challenge.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First meeting

**Author's Note:**

> Hi All,
> 
> I am excited to be continuing this series as part of the Wintershock Challenge. 
> 
> Anika

Steve honestly didn’t remember the first time he met Darcy. The early days of having Bucky back were a blur of hurt and anxiousness. He was overjoyed to have his soul mate back, but that didn’t change the fact that everything was hard. Initially, the man he was fighting for bore little resemblance to the man he remembered. Bucky was lost and needed Steve desperately. Steve felt guilty for every second he wasn’t focused on him. 

The days blended into each other. Steve could never fully relax because he never knew when something would trigger Bucky. One minute, Bucky would be relating horrors in a controlled monotone and the next he tense up reliving memories. Sometimes he would lose himself and attack the man who had been his last mission. Night brought little rest as Steve kept himself awake listening for Bucky’s nightmares to start.

The therapist said that Bucky was making progress, but it took weeks before Steve could really see it. The changes were too gradual. Then one day Bucky finished a story Steve was telling Sam about their lives before the war and smiled at the punch line of one of Sam’s jokes. He started eating more. He kissed Steve on the cheek before they went to bed. Steve slept a full four hours before Bucky’s muffled screams woke him. 

As Steve came out of the fog of focusing all his energy on Bucky, he noticed how much all the other tower residences were helping. Tony and Bruce had abandoned their own projects to design a new arm for Bucky. Natasha spent hours sitting with Bucky talking about experiences she probably wished she could forget. Darcy prepared a giant pot of oatmeal and didn’t stick around long enough for Steve to thank her. 

Washing the dishes by hand with Bucky reminded him of the good times in their little apartment in Brooklyn. They used to bump elbows as they worked together in their tiny kitchen area. Now the room was larger and so was Steve, but Bucky still ‘accidentally’ flicked Steve with a soapy washcloth when his mind wandered.

Bucky didn’t ask why they did the dishes for Darcy everyday. Steve was grateful because he didn’t have a coherent answer. He could never pay everyone back for everything they had done for him and Bucky, but he could do this one small thing. Because he didn’t remember the first time he saw Darcy. She had probably been in the background one day when he was talking to one of the scientists. The first time he recalled seeing Darcy, she was talking animatedly to Jane about a book she had just finished reading. Bucky’s gaze rested on her for a second too long and a familiar smile appeared on Bucky’s face as he turned away.

Steve was starting to hope. He hoped the Bucky would recover enough to be happy. Steve hoped that he would be able to finally feel comfortable in the twenty-first century and he hoped to finally build a home with both his soulmates.


	2. First time Darcy introduced Bucky as her soulmate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> College physics teaches Darcy something about herself

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi All,
> 
> Thank you for reading, leaving kudos, and comments on the first chapter. I am grateful people are enjoying this series. 
> 
> Anika

There was nothing like being in an intro science class with a room full of 18 year olds to teach you that you are no longer a teenager. Darcy had expected to be able to slot herself right back into college life. After all, she didn’t look all that different and she still listened to the hip music. But the last three years had changed her more than she realized. Her classmates seemed young and either arrogant or irresponsible. Many, like her assigned lab partner, were both.

“We don’t need to hand in our lab report until class tomorrow morning,” her lab partner whined at 3:30 when the lab period technically ended.  “We can meet at the library after dinner and finish in plenty of time.”  Last week she had given in to his desire for a break.  Then he hadn’t shown up to the library until 9PM smelling strongly of weed.  It had taken them until 2 AM to finish the lab report because he kept getting the munchies.  Today, she intended to be back to the tower in time to eat a late dinner with her boys.

“Or we could pound this thing now and be free to enjoy a homework free evening,” Darcy responded persuasively.  “I don’t think there is another class in this room, so we could just stay here and work.”

“My roommate wanted to game this evening,” he mused.

“That sounds like fun,” Darcy relied.  “How about you crunch the numbers and start making the graphs while I write the introduction?  It we are efficient, we be can finish by 6.”  

This proved to be overly optimistic.  Darcy employed every scientist wrangling technique in her arsenal to keep her lab partner on task, but they still had over an hour of work left by 5:30.  She reluctantly texted Bucky to start eating without her.  

Thirty minutes later the door to the lab opened and a delicious smell began to spread through the room.

“Pizza for Ms. Lewis.”

“Bucky,” Darcy cried and ran over to give her soulmate a hug.

“Hi, Doll,” Bucky greeted her with his customary kiss on the cheek. “Stevie got called away on business and it is boring to eat alone.”  He set the pizza boxes on an empty lab bench and pulled up a stool.

“I’m glad you came,” Darcy assured him. “This is my lab partner Josh. Josh, this is my soulmate Bucky.”

Josh was happy to meet anyone who came bearing free food. “That is so cool that you have already met your soulmate,” he enthused. “I am hoping to meet mine in college too.”

Darcy wasn’t sure what to say.  It was the first time she had ever introduced Bucky to someone who didn’t already know his history.  If Josh didn’t recognize Bucky, she had no intention of enlightening him.

“We have only been together a few months,” Bucky assured him easily. “You will find them.”

“I know,” Josh conceded. “My parents didn’t meet until Dad was almost forty, but I think it would be nice to match young.”

Bucky looked skeptical, but didn’t reply.  Steve had occasionally spoken to Darcy about the challenges and benefits of finding your soulmate young.  Instead of developing as an independent person, you grow up as half of a pair.  Neither Steve nor Bucky regretted matching as prepubescents, but there was a reason most people found their soulmates as adults.  Darcy was grateful the universe had given her the chance to be a single adult for a few years. She had met Steve and Bucky at exactly the right time for all of them.

 

 


	3. First gift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy appreciates her first gift from Steve for all the wrong reasons

Darcy wasn’t good at presents.  She didn’t like giving them because she never knew what to get and she didn’t like receiving them because she was rarely given anything she actually wanted.  It seemed like how she treated people every day of the year should matter more than what she though to get them on semi-random annual occasions. This probably made her a terrible person. However, numerous childhood lectures on gratitude had taught her to fake enthusiasm with the best of them.  

“I wonder what it is?” Darcy asked while examining the package Steve had presented to her.  It was small, rectangular, and wrapped in newspaper.

“It's a book,” Bucky answered helpfully.  Years of literary Hanukkah and Birthday presents told Darcy he was probably correct.  Fortunately, it appeared to be a short book so she wouldn’t have to spend too much time reading it.  Her Uncle had an unfortunate tendency to gift her long boring novels and then want to discuss them in detail.  

Darcy opened the package to find a very old cookbook. “The Home Menu Cookbook,” she read off the cover.

“You were asking about the food we used to eat growing up,” Steve explained.  “This book was published for working class women in 1932.”

Bucky smacked Steve upside the head.  “You are terrible with women.”

“What do you mean?” Steve asked rubbing the back of his head as if he was actually injured.

“You can’t give a girl a cookbook,” Bucky explained. “It says you are expecting her to cook for us.”

“But she does cook for us almost every day,” Steve argued.  “Besides I don’t actually want her to use the recipes in the book.  Her food is way better.  She roasts things in the oven”  Bucky noded to concede the point.

“I like cooking and I did ask.” Darcy walked over and gave Steve a kiss. “Thank you for the wonderful gift.” She could see Bucky’s point, but was actually relieved.  If Steve had been the perfectly thoughtful gift type, she would have been in trouble.

“Traitor,” Bucky accused playfully as he snatched the book from Darcy and started to page through it. “Actually, all this food does sound very familiar.  Six ways to serve boiled potatoes.”

“What would you have gotten me?” Darcy challenged.

Bucky considered the question carefully.  “I would get you a dessert from your favorite bakery or knit you something,” he answered thoughtfully.  Darcy realized she had worried about the wrong gift giver.

“I would like that,” Darcy admitted.

“See Stevie, I how to treat our girl right,” Bucky bragged. Dracy and Steve pulled Bucky into a hug so they were standing in a circle with their arms around each other waists.

“Okay,” Steve agreed. “You can be in charge of gift giving and I will be in charge of pleasing our girl in other ways.” 


	4. First time meeting family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy's brother meets his soulmate hours before he is supposed to meet Steve and Bucky for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In my family, we tend ignore relationship qualifiers. So second cousins are cousins and great-aunts are aunts. My husband refers to his step siblings as his brother and sister. So Zach is technically Darcy's step-brother, but she thinks of him as a brother and refers him as such most of the time.

“Are you ready to order drinks?” the perky waitress asked Darcy and her step-brother Zach shortly after they sat down to lunch.  When Darcy’s step brother had called her to say he was in town for an unexpected business trip, Darcy had been grateful for the opportunity to share the news about her soulmates in person.  She was nervous about explaining their unique arrangement.

“Bananas fly upside down in Oslo,” Zach replied.  He was one of those unfortunate people with a very common phrase on his arm.  He had decided to raise his odds of an unambiguous match by always answering with something random.  Usually his odd phrases were greeted with a quizzical look or uncomfortable laugh, but the waitress looked delighted.

“Oh my God.  It’s finally you,”  she exclaimed while clapping her hands in excitement. “I can’t believe it and wow, you’re cute. I’m Nora.” Zach grinned broadly and stood up to capture Nora’s hands in his.

“I am so happy to meet you. I’m Zach and this is my sister Darcy,” Zach replied while looking deeply into Nora’s brown eyes.  Darcy had never seen him look so besot.  She was genuinely happy for him. However that didn’t stop a small selfish part of her from wishing he could have waited to find his soulmate until after Darcy had told him about Steve and Bucky.

“That's great.  I was worried you were on a date.  It would be totally awkward to meet your soulmate on a date with someone else, but being with you sister is awesome because now I get to meet your family.” Nora continued. “Do you both live in New York?”  Darcy couldn’t tell if Nora was a generally bubbly person or if she was giddy with meeting her soulmate.  Darcy had heard that word matching could produce a kind of euphoria, but Darcy had been too worried about Bucky to experience it herself.

Zach was staring at Nora as if every word she said was precious. Darcy wondered if she should excuse herself so the pair could get to know each other.

“My sister lives in New York, but I live in Wisconsin,” Zach answered regretfully.

“Oooh what part,” Nora asked. “I grew up in La Crosse.”

“Darcy and I are from Milwaukee,” Zach answered. “But I’m currently living in Madison.  I moved there for college and loved it so I stayed.”

“Oh, that makes sense,” Nora answered. “I came to New York for college. I finished my degree over two years ago and I go on auditions every week, but I have only been cast in a couple minor chorus roles. I was starting to think about moving back home to teach.  Meeting you is the universe’s way of telling me it is the right choice.”  Darcy shouldn’t have been surprised by Nora’s words.  People often dramatically reordered their lives to be with their soulmates.  That didn’t make it any less weird to hear a woman declare that she was changing careers and states less than five minutes after meeting her match.  

“I don’t know much about performing arts opportunities in Madison,” Zach replied. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay in New York?  The company I work for has a New York office and I could request a transfer.”

Nora laughed. “No, I will never regret taking a couple years to try for my Broadway dream, but the city is too big for me and too expensive.”

The conversation was interrupted by a woman wearing a manager pin clearing her throat pointedly behind Nora’s back.  She wore a sour expression that cleared as soon as Nora began speaking.

“I found my soulmate,” Nora told her boss.

“That’s wonderful,” she replied.  “We aren’t too busy.  Why don’t you take an hour for lunch?”

Nora and Zach both muttered garbled thanks, but the manager just waved them off and promised to send a new server over so they could order their food.  Zach and Nora sat next to each other trying to fit their entire life histories into one meal.  They had a remarkable amount in common.  Watching the two of them together was like watching one of those romantic stories that you make fun of because real life is never that simple.  Nora was happy that her life was being turned upside down by a sentence.

When the hour was up, Zach reluctantly announced he had to get back to work and Nora agreed she should do the same.  They parted with a gentle kiss that made both of their cheeks glow pink.  Darcy remembered that feeling.  Had she looked just as giddy?  Her brother looked like he could walk on air or into traffic, so Darcy offered to escort him to his office.

“Are you sure she is the one?” Darcy asked as they walked down the busy sidewalk.  It was an unfair question.  When she had word matched with Steve, she had no doubt that he was her soulmate and they belonged together. But it was different to watch it from the outside.  Darcy felt that she had made a conscious choice to be with Steve and Bucky. Her brother appeared to be just falling into it.  Because the universe made him meet this woman and after less than two hours he was sure he was going to marry her.  There were no real complications and Darcy had every confidence they would be happy. Still, it was strange to watch Zach change from her brother into half of a couple before her eyes.

“I’m sure,” he answered. “You’ll understand when it happens to you.”

“It happened two weeks ago,” Darcy confessed.  “I was going to tell you over lunch.”

Zach froze and turned to face his sister.  Putting both of his hands on her shoulders he started jumping with enthusiasm just as he had when they were children. “I’m so happy for you. We both found our soulmate.”

“Soulmates,” Darcy corrected. “I have two soulmates: Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes.” She had been planning on explaining the voluntary soulmate thing to him, but now was not the time for complicated stories.  Besides the lie seemed more accurate than the truth.

“That's it. I’m taking the rest of the day off,” Zach declared.  “You are the soulmate of Captain America and his Sergeant?”

“Yep,” Darcy agreed cockily. Zach gave Darcy a giant hug.

“Half the women and a tenth of the men in America are going to hate you as soon as that gets out,” Zach predicted jokingly.  “In fact, I am now even more sure I was meant to meet Nora today because otherwise I would hate you.” Darcy laughed. It was good to know that meet his soulmate hadn’t changed her brother.

“So everything comes back to you and Nora today?” Darcy teased.

“Yep, today is my day.  I met my perfect match and I get to give Captain America a shovel talk for dating my sister.  It's going to be great.”

“Careful, he may actually take you seriously,” Darcy warned. “Also, we are mostly keeping it to ourselves for a while. Bucky is still recovering and we don’t want to add to anyone’s stress with a media shitstorm.”

“That makes sense,” Zach agreed. “I’m so happy for us.  Mom is going to flip when she hears we are both paired up...or I guess trioed up.  Is that a thing?”

“Triaded up?”  Darcy suggested. “Finding the perfect words hasn’t been a big priority. If you really aren’t planning on returning to work, I can bring you by the tower to meet them.”

“I’d love to meet your soulmates.” Zach responded.  “We can go now unless you would rather wait for Nora to get off work.”

“Fewer strangers would probably be better if you don’t mind.”

“No problem Darc. Lead on.” After a quick phone call to Steve to warn him of their imminent arrival, Darcy led her brother to Stark Tower. Steve met them as they exited the elevator.

“Zach, I would like you to meet Steve Rogers,” Darcy introduced.  “Steve, this is my step brother Zach.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Steve greeted Zach.  He offered to take both their coats and then led them over to the common room where he had laid out a plate of cookies.  Darcy was impressed that Steve had managed to defend the artistic arrangement from the rest of the Avengers.  Sweet treats usually didn’t last long around so many big appetites.  

“May I get you some coffee,” Steve offered politely.  Darcy felt very virtuous for managing not to laugh at his obvious nerves.  Her brother didn’t seem to find any humor in the situation because it reminded him of Nora.

“I am going to accept every offer of drinks today,” he said dreamily.  “I met my soulmate when she asked to take my drink order at lunch.”

Steve looked slightly startled, but covered it quickly by offering Zach a heartfelt congratulations. Zach was only too happy to describe Nora in detail to an attentively listening Steve.  Some people would have found Zach’s oblivious chatter annoying, but Steve appeared interested.  The same could not be said for Bucky. He walked silently into the room listened briefly to the conversation and then walked right back out.  As was frequently the case, Darcy wasn’t sure exactly what part of the situation was objectionable to him.

“We are going to email every day until she can move to Madison,” Zach concluded. As he finished speaking, Bucky walked back into the room with three mugs of coffee.  He gave one Steve, another to Darcy, and pointedly kept the third for himself. Steve frowned at Bucky’s behavior but didn’t comment.

“Let me get you a cup,” Steve offered, but when he started to rise Bucky sat on Steve’s lap to stop him from moving.

“Hi, Darcy’s brother.  I’m Bucky and this is our other soulmate Steve.”  Bucky spoke without inflection which was never a good sign.

“Hi, Bucky,” Zach said in confusion.

“Steve has been worrying about whether we would get a chance to meet you since Darcy told us you were in town,” Bucky continued. “And I know Darcy was thrilled that she would be able to tell you about us in person.”  Steve looked like he was about to speak, but Zach beat him to it.

“I’m being rude,” Zach realized. “I got so caught up in finding my soulmate that I am ruining a special time for Darcy.”

“Ruining might be going a little far,” protested Darcy.  Her brother wasn’t the king of social graces, but his heart was in the right place.

“And Steve,” Bucky added, ignoring Darcy. “We don’t have any family left so Darcy’s family is the closest option.”

“Sorry,” Zach apologized. “Can we start over? Hi, I’m Darcy’s brother Zach and I am very excited to meet you.”  Bucky looked at Zach coldly from head to toe.  Then he smiled and stood to shake Zach’s hand.

“Welcome to our home,” Bucky greeted him warmly. “Why don’t you sit down while I get you a cup of coffee?”  After that the visit went well.  Zach found a surprising number of safe questions to ask and didn’t mention Nora more than once a minute.  Darcy was glad that the three most important men in her life were getting along.


	5. First time Darcy sees Steve cry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two steps forward and one step back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is angsty and contain a discussion of mental health issues. The chapter for the first argument will continue this plot line. I don't know if that is reassuring or not, but this story isn't over.
> 
> Anika

The stories made being with you soulmates sound easy.  Everything just worked out perfectly and the world was full of daisies.  Darcy was finding the reality to be far more complex. Her soulmates were wonderful, loving men, but they were not simple or safe.  This truth was brought home to Darcy one morning about a month after she word matched with Steve. After breakfast, Bucky had a very productive therapy session which meant he came out fragile and pale. On they way back to their room, Steve and Bucky had stopped by the lab to collect a hug from Darcy just in time to be caught in a lab accident.  It was only a minor explosion, but the sound and flying debris caused Bucky to flashback to the Hydra labs.  Bucky attacked Jane believing she was a Hydra scientist.  Steve managed to restrain Bucky before he could harm anyone, but the fight left both men shaking.  

The whole thing had happened so fast Darcy hadn’t even had time to get out from under the table she had dived for when Jane yelled the experiment was going critical. She looked between Steve and Bucky uncertain which soulmate was more in need of her support.  Bucky’s eyes were darting around the room searching every inch for danger while Steve panted and clutched Bucky in a hold that provided both restraint and reassurance. Steve had warned Darcy never to interfere when Bucky was caught in a flashback.  Deciding to focus on less nebulous dangers, Darcy grabbed the fire extinguisher and started blasting anything that was even slightly smoldering.

“Jane, I think we are going to need to recalibrate your new machine,” she said in an attempt to lighten the tone. “Do you know what went wrong?”

“I think the frequency was so high,” Jane answered shakily. “Fortunately the recording equipment appears to be undamaged so we can analyze the data for get more details.”

“Excellent,” Darcy babbled. “I can make graphs.  I like graphs and charts and..”

“I should take my emergency meds,” Bucky interrupted in a monotone.  The psychiatrists had given Bucky a prescription for drugs to stabilize and sedate him after a violent incident.

“Yes,” Steve agreed sadly.

“Would you like me to give you a little time to get settled and then come by to see if you want some lunch?” Darcy suggested. Steve looked grateful.

“That sounds perfect.”  Steve gave Darcy a quick kiss goodbye, but Bucky stayed on the other side of the room with his back pressed against the wall.  He refused to meet Darcy’s eyes.

An hour later, Darcy tapped on the door to the bedroom lightly before entering.  It was a delicate balance to make sure she did not startle the room's occupants if they were awake or wake them if they were asleep.  Either could be dangerous in Bucky’s current condition.  She didn’t want to think about what Bucky hurting her would do him or Steve.

Bucky was asleep, his face oddly slack under the influence of the drugs. He never slept that deeply under normal circumstances. Steve was kneeling on the ground next to their bed with his face hidden by his hands.  As Darcy crossed the room to put a hand on his shoulder, Steve looked up at her.  She could see tear streaks on his cheeks.

“I honestly thought he was getting better,” Steve confessed.  “He hasn’t attacked me in over a month.”

“He didn’t really attack you this time either,”  Darcy pointed out. “His target was Jane.”

Steve shook his head. “That isn’t want I meant.”

“He is getting better. Bucky is talking more and his memories are returning steadily.  Being caught in a lab accident could rattle anyone.”

“I know you're right,” Steve said, but that clearly wasn’t what was really bothering him.

“I always have to be a little on my guard with him and I hate it because I love him,” Steve continued. Darcy hummed in sympathy and moved to more fully encircle Steve in her arms.  

“I love the man he is now,” Steve confessed. “But sometimes I just want my old carefree Bucky back and I feel terrible. I’m a bad soulmate.”

“You are a wonderful soulmate,” Darcy disagreed. “It isn’t wrong to resent change or need some time to adjust.  You have done an unbelievable job supporting Bucky under very challenging circumstances.”

“We aren’t fair to you,” Steve said.  Darcy considered contradicting him, but she doubted Steve would believe her.  The situation was unfair to all of them in different ways.  It wasn’t anyone’s fault and they were all doing the best they could so fairness wasn't really a reasonable way to judge their current relationship.

“You will be.”  When Steve looked like he was going to argue Darcy continued. “Sometimes life isn’t fair and there is no way to make things balance in the short term.  The important thing is that we work towards a future where everyone is getting their needs met.”

Steve looked thoughtful. “You really believe that.”

“Absolutely,” Darcy confirmed. “I am a very social person.  What I need most is for your guys to love me and spend time with me.  I don’t feel neglected or asked to contribute too much. For now, a low key evening eating good food and hanging out makes up for almost any level of stress during the day.  I’ll even cook because I enjoy cooking.”

Steve considered her words. “That would be a good plan for tonight.  Bucky was worried about how you would react to the incident this morning.  Knowing that he could do something for you would probably help him feel better. I’ve noticed it is easier for him to relax when he is with both of us.”

“Great.  So we have a plan for when Bucky wakes up.  Until then, we are going to focus on taking care of you.”

“But I’m fine,” Steve stated.

“Nope,” Darcy responded. “Answer rejected. Bucky is going to be out for another couple hours and you are going to do something purely selfish.  Honestly, I don’t know how you are still functioning after the last couple of months.”

“I can’t leave Bucky alone,” Steve insisted.

“I’ll stay and watch him.  You are going to take a long hot shower, workout, have lunch with Natasha, or anything else that sounds fun.”  As she spoke, Darcy realized she didn’t really know what Steve did to relax.  He was always so focused work or one of his partners.  This was something she would have to remedy.

“Are you sure?” Steve seemed conflicted.

“Completely sure.  You are not allowed back in this room for at least three hours,” Darcy confirmed.  “I will keep you informed on Bucky’s status and call you the second he wakes.”

“Thank you.” Steve gave Darcy a passionate kiss and gave Bucky a platonic peck on the cheek before leaving the room.  Darcy pulled out her tablet and settled in to work from Bucky’s bedside.


	6. First time meeting an ex

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first and last time Darcy met Peggy Carter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi All,
> 
> Thank you for your continued comments and support. I am taking this prompt as an excuse to expound on my head cannon for Peggy Carter in this universe. 
> 
> I am having a ton of fun playing with the Wintershock Challenge prompts. However I am stuck on two. If anyone has prompts for first trip to Asgard or first prank war, let me know. I have the rest either written or outlined.
> 
> -Anika

Like so many things in her life, the description of Darcy’s current situation sounded weird, but living it seemed normal.  She was sitting at the bedside of her soulmate’s elderly ex-girlfriend promising that she would take care of the man they both loved.

Two days before, Steve had received an email from Peggy’s niece informing him that her Aunt had less than a week to live.  Steve immediately decided that he was going to DC and asked his soulmates to accompany him.  Bucky had been hesitant, but agreed as soon as he understood how much it would mean to Steve.  He was far more interested in making Steve happy than potentially making Peggy uncomfortable.  

Peggy was a rare heterosexual women who had a single female soulmate.  Steve had told Darcy that Peggy found this freeing because she could choose her own romantic relationships.  He had wished they were soulmates from the first time they spoke.  Those feeling deepened the more they worked together.  Unfortunately, loving Steve did not make Peggy automatically love Bucky as well. Steve believed Bucky and Peggy had never quite gotten along because she misunderstood Bucky’s flirting and Bucky was worried that she wanted Steve to herself.  Before Bucky fell, they were just starting to understand each other.  

If history had gone differently, the three of them and Peggy’s soulmate Angie probably would have found a way to be happy together. Instead, Bucky fell and Steve crashed the plane so Peggy Carter had moved on and live a full life with other people. Having Steve reappear in her twilight years was hard for everyone. Peggy remembered her love for Steve, but it had been years since she really felt it. Darcy hoped that coming on this last visit would give Peggy peace instead of pain.  The last thing she wanted to do was distress a dying woman.

Bucky, Darcy, and Steve had arrived at Peggy’s room in the hospice just after lunch finished. Peggy’s other guests had obviously tried to make the room as cheerful as possible. However there was no mistaking Peggy for a healthy woman. She was so thin that you could see every bone in her hands and they shook when she tried to raise them in greeting.  Still, her eyes were surprisingly lucid.  Darcy was glad they had managed to come on one of Peggy Carter’s rare good days.

Steve paused uncertainly at the door so Bucky took the lead. “Hey Peggy, good to see you again.”

“Bucky,” Peggy asked uncertainly.  He hadn’t been to visit Peggy since he remembered himself.  Unlike Steve, he had altered significantly since the last time Peggy saw him.

“Sure thing and I brought my soulmates with me,” Bucky motioned Steve and Darcy into the room. “You know this jerk and the lady is Darcy.”  Peggy looked up at Steve and smiled softly.

“You found your girl.”  Steve relaxed as Peggy spoke.  Walking quickly to her bedside, he knelt down and gently took her hands.  

“I knew she was my soulmate when I came back from a mission and saw her dancing with Bucky,” he explained.  “She takes good care of us and herself.  The first time I heard of her was when Thor told me about how he was taken down by ‘a maiden with a lightning stick’.”

“Good,” Peggy replied. “You boys need someone with spirit. Otherwise, you get entirely too dramatic.” Bucky looked offended at the suggestion, but Steve smiled warmly.  

“Let me take a look at you,” Peggy continued while waving Darcy over. Darcy perched herself of the side of Peggy’s bed.  Darcy took the hand Peggy offered and put the other on Steve's shoulder. Peggy examined Darcy as closely as her aging eyes would allow.“Yep, just your type.”

“Feisty brunettes that never back down from a fight,” Bucky agreed. It had never occurred to her before, but Darcy was willing to concede that Bucky had a point.  They were all different people, but there were certain patterns.

“Hey,” Steve mock protested, but Darcy knew he loved the teasing.

“I should warn Tony,” Darcy agreed.

“He always did get along suspiciously well with Stark,” Peggy added.

“Absolutely not,” Steve retorted. “I am more than satisfied with my current companions.” Darcy noticed that statement included Peggy. She was amazed at all the kinds of love in the room. It beautiful and healing.  Peggy was dying after living a good life.  Steve and Bucky would continue living at peace with this part of their past.


	7. First time playing video games

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy and Bucky play Dragon Age: Inquisition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi All,
> 
> I put way too much thought into deciding which game to have them play. In the end, I decided on Dragon Age: Inquisition because I couldn’t resist the idea of Bucky playing the inquisitor. Enjoy silly fic today because tomorrow is an angsty one.
> 
> Anika

Darcy was a sporadic gamer. Her first time playing a videogame was during one of those first awkward playdates between Darcy and the boy who would become her brother.  Darcy and Zach had been in the same kindergarten class for over five months when their parents discovered they were soulmates during a class field trip.  The two kids were neither enemies or friends, just classmates with little in common.  Meeting several times after school so their parents could have strange semi-dates had done nothing to improve their relationship. The parents had shooed the kids off to go play so they could talk and Darcy mentally prepared herself for another boring afternoon.

“Do you want to play Mario Kart?” Zach asked.  He had spent the last two meeting chatting Darcy’s ear off about dinosaurs while trying to make her color pictures of dinosaurs.  Darcy wasn’t exactly certain what Mario Kart was but it had to be an improvement.  Zach started up the game system and handed her the controller.  It took several rounds before Darcy understood what she was doing.  It didn’t help that Zach lacked the coordination to properly demonstrate.  Still they had a great time chaotically driving their little cars around the screen. Occasionally they even stayed on the path while going in the correct direction.

Having one activity they enjoyed doing together made things easier.  It was still weird that Zach and Darcy would be forever bound together because of words written on their parents arms, but they had found a way to start becoming friends.  People kept telling her that Zach was now her brother because their parents were soulmates and she waited for the sibling bond to appear.  Darcy’s mom told her that these things took time which didn’t sound right. Darcy knew that soulmate bonds appeared instantly.  It took years, but by the time their parents got married, Darcy and Zach did love each other like siblings.

As teenagers, Zach was obsessed with video games and he frequently recruited his sister to play co-op.  She enjoyed playing games as a social activity, but rarely chose to game alone until her brother brought home a copy of Dragon Age: Origins.  Darcy lost most the winter break her junior year of college to playing the game through six times so she could experience all the romances and origin stories.  Her favorite Hero of Ferelden was a sarcastic female elf who was totally in love with Leliana.

When Dragon Age II came out her senior year, she pre-ordered her own copy and upgraded her computer’s graphics card to make sure it would play it smoothly.  People made fun of the game, but she enjoyed it.  For her, the game play was secondary to the story and the worldbuilding. She didn’t mind the repetitive dungeons as much as many.  Shortly after finishing her second playthrough, her life was turned upside down by Thor, Jane, and Loki.  

In the whirlwind of the next couple years, she had little time for any games more serious than Candy Crush.  Okay, so she was totally addicted to Candy Crush and ridiculously proud of being at level 512 without ever spending a dime.  Still by the time Dragon Age: Inquisition was about to come out Darcy was ready to return to the world of Thedus.  The release was perfectly timed between midterms and finals so Darcy felt no guilt hooking her computer up to the big television in the common room and buying a wireless keyboard and mouse.

“I’m bored,” Bucky announced flinging himself on the couch next to Darcy as she played through the opening cinematics.  Steve had been called away to help with a training exercise leaving his soulmates to fend for themselves for the week.  

“So come and help me lead a group of adventurers in saving the world,” Darcy offered. She would only alter her plans for an emergency.  Boredom did not qualify.

Bucky made a face. “If I wanted to do that I would have gone with Steve.”

“Yes, but this world isn’t real,” Darcy coaxed.  With anyone else, she would add that the problems related to magic and monsters. “You get the chance to pretend to be a hero without actually endangering anyone.” Bucky looked unconvinced. It was possible that this type of fantasy was utterly unappealing to him. Darcy wasn’t always good at guessing what Bucky would object to. Should she be worried about triggering Bucky while controlling a pixelated elven mage?

As Darcy debated if she should pause the game to give Bucky her full attention, Cassandra asked her character if they should should charge with the soldiers or take the mountain pass.

“Charge with the soldiers, but stay to the rear if possible,” Bucky advised.  “You are being weakened by an unknown agent so speed outweighs the potential value of added intelligence.  Also, Cassandra currently appears to be the more valuable ally.”

“Alright,” Darcy agreed.  She was planning on doing her first playthrough unspoiled and without looking anything up on the internet.  Professional tactical advice was welcome as long as she wasn't obliged to take it. “If you are going to be a backseat gamer, you should look up the background.”  Bucky pulled out a tablet and began reading.

************

A week later, an exhausted Steve heard the shouting before he opened the front door to the apartment.  He hurriedly entered to find Darcy pacing the floor gesticulating wildly in front of Bucky who was standing with his arms crossed and a stubborn expression on his face.  This was not good.  

“I agree that the mages have messed up every chance they have been given, but that doesn’t change the fact that they didn’t choose to be born with magic.  Many of their poor choices are desperate acts of innocent people who have been imprisoned for most of their lives,” Darcy said passionately. Steve racked his brain to think of which group of magic users his soulmates could be arguing about. Darcy and Bucky usually agreed on supernatural matters.

“That doesn’t change the fact that the Templars are the more strategic allies because the mages end up being less fully controlled,” Bucky countered. “Calpernia still has free will, but the Templars are turned into monsters.”

“Strategy is less important to me than moral considerations. The Templars committed atrocities in Kirkwall”

“As the mages did in Ferelden.”

“What are you two talking about?” Steve asked completely confused. He had no idea who any of the referenced groups were.

“Steve!” Darcy cried and threw herself into his arms. “We’ve missed you.”  Bucky gave Darcy and Steve a second to kiss before joining the hug.

“Have you heard of a game called Dragon Age?”

 


	8. First fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fist time Darcy, Steve, and Bucky have a real fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a direct continuation of the chapter for the first time Darcy saw Steve cry. This chapter contains discussions of mental health issues and a fight. These characters are imperfect people under a lot of stress. Details in the end of chapter notes for those who prefer detailed warnings.

It took Darcy almost five days to catch the pattern. Bucky would only enter Darcy’s presence if another Avenger was already in the room and he would follow the last one to leave out.  It was subtle.  There was always a reason for him to excuse himself, but eventually Darcy noticed that she hadn’t seen Bucky alone since the lab accident.

Bucky wasn’t avoiding her.  He had spent two evenings curled up with Steve and Darcy watching movies and a third helping Darcy try a new recipe for overnight cinnamon rolls. But they always had a chaperone.

The next day Darcy sought Bucky out.  She walked through all the communal floors, but he was nowhere to be found. Next she looked in the rooms he shared with Steve.  Steve was at his desk looking over reports.

“Hey, Steve,” Darcy interrupted hoping he wasn’t in the middle of something important.  Standing up, Steve smiled in welcome and held his arms out to Darcy.

“Hi Darling, have you come to distract me from training plans for our new recruits?”  Darcy happily enfolded herself in his embrace, but she refused to let herself get sidetracked.

“Sorry, no, I am looking for Bucky.”  Steve didn’t pout or pressure, but Darcy could tell he had been hoping for a different answer. Since their discussion about making sure his needs were met, Steve had been noticeably more physical with Darcy.  While this was not exactly the outcome she had been hoping for, Darcy wasn’t about to complain.  Steve asking for anything for himself seemed like a positive step and the sex was amazing.

“I noticed that I hadn’t been alone with him since the incident in Jane’s lab,” Darcy explained.  Steve looked down with a slight guilty expression.

“You already knew,” Darcy accused.

“Bucky has decided that it isn’t safe for him to be around you without someone who is capable of restraining him,” Steve admitted. Darcy's instinctive reaction was to angrily deny that she could ever be in danger from her soulmate, but she stopped herself.  Could Bucky hurt her?  As much as she wanted to ignore the possibility, Darcy had to admit the answer was yes.  Bucky had loved Steve for far longer than he had loved her and that hadn’t stopped him from seriously injuring his soulmate.  Darcy did not have Steve’s ability to defend herself.  Under the wrong conditions, Bucky could easily hurt or even kill her.  

“What do you think?” Darcy asked carefully.  Steve looked torn.  

“I don’t know.  Bucky has a point, but he may be overestimating the danger.  His attack on Jane was the first time he has targeted someone, other than me, since he was released from the hospital.  Before that he killed several members of Hyra, but no civilians.”

“Jane was doing science while wearing a lab coat,” Darcy pointed out, but she knew avoiding those behaviors wasn’t a solution to the problem.  The incident had proven that Bucky wasn’t ready to live in an unsecured environment, but Avenger’s tower was never going to be totally trigger free.  Not that anywhere could be guaranteed to be trigger free, but most places weren’t a favorite target for supervillains while also containing three scientists who were not as careful as they should be.

“Could we move somewhere better for Bucky?” Darcy suggested.

“I’ve looked into it, but most other options would give Bucky significantly less freedom.  Part of the reason Bucky and I moved in was because Tony and JARVIS could create safeguards so that Bucky would be no danger to anyone outside the tower.”

“And those of us inside the tower need to find a way to minimize our risk,” Darcy added. Steve looked miserable and started to pull away from Darcy.

“You are right.  I understand. Bucky and I will..,” Steve started saying.

“No,” Darcy interrupted before she could find out what ridiculously self sacrificing plan Steve was about to propose. “I meant my suggestion literally.  We didn’t think Bucky was a threat to the civilian residents of the tower.  Now that we know that under rare circumstances he may attack, we need a better plan for keeping us safe.”

Steve looked thoughtful. “Thank you for taking this seriously.”

“I’m taking this very seriously. Bucky can’t recover if he is constantly worrying about hurting someone and I don’t want anyone to be hurt.”

“Tony had some ideas for allowing Jarvis to disable Bucky’s arm or to rig it with some type of restraint.  Bucky was resistant to the idea.”

“Of course he is,” Darcy agreed.  “Giving a computer the means to control him is a little too familiar.  There has got to be a better way.”

“Natasha and his therapist have both been working with him to help desensitize him to his triggers.”

“Did they know about the lab accident one?”

“No,” Bucky walked out of Steve’s bedroom to join the conversation.  Darcy assumed he had been eavesdropping on the whole thing. Instead of making Darcy uncomfortable, it was a relief.  She would prefer for Bucky to be involved in the conversation

“Okay, so we have two problems.” Darcy spoke directly to Bucky hoping to engage him in the discussion. “We don’t know exactly what scenarios you will react to and we can’t protect you from all possible triggers.”

“I am most concerned about unknown triggers,” Bucky stated clinically.  “Me attacking Steve is a terrible, but well understood problem. We have a plan. How can I live with the knowledge that I might randomly attach anyone?” Steve made a noise of protest.

“Your attack on Jane wasn’t random,” Darcy argued. “It was unexpected, but logical given the situation.”

“I thought I was back in one of the Hydra labs and they were going to hurt you,” Bucky said. Darcy fought her instinct to give Bucky a big hug and promise that she was safe.  They had already done that several times. Actually the answer was a good sign.  The lab accident triggered a flashback, but he had those frequently without endangering anyone.  Bucky had attacked because he believed his soulmate was in danger.

“That makes sense,” Darcy mused. Bucky used to attack Steve because of lingering Hydra programing. After months of hard work, he had overcome that impulse. His attack on Jane came from a totally different source.  Bucky had been willing to fight to defend his soulmate long before he was captured by Hydra.  If Darcy was correct, she was in absolutely no danger.  They would still need to put more safeguards in place for the other civilians, but Darcy herself would be the safest person in the tower.  But how to test it?

“You understand why I can’t be alone with you?” Bucky asked sadly.

Darcy shook her head. “I don’t understand why you tried to hide it from me.”

“We thought you wouldn’t recognize the danger,” Steve answered.  Darcy spun to face Steve.

“And you will never do that again,” Darcy snapped. It wasn’t hard to take her real anger and stoke it into rage. “I understand that there are some things that Bucky has to tell me in his own time, but you cannot keep decisions that affect all of us from me.  I may be the newcomer, but I am an equal partner in this relationship.”

“I’m sorry,” Steve apologized.  He looked so ashamed the Darcy had a hard time not forgiving him immediately, but this was to good of an opportunity to waste.  Bucky had to believe her.

“Not good enough,” Darcy shouted as she advanced on Steve.  “I am a full grown intelligent woman who is just as capable of recognizing danger as you. Never treat me like a child.” He ended her tirade by shoving Steve in the chest with her full strength.  Predictably she barely moved him. His face was confused and heartbreakingly hurt as he brought up his hands to placate Darcy instead of defending himself, but another set of hands lifted Darcy before Steve could touch her.  Bucky lifted Darcy off her feet and carried her struggling form across the room.  Darcy managed to get a few good kicks in before Bucky deposited her on the couch.

“Stop,” he demanded harshly.  Bucky’s face was completely devoid of expression. Darcy immediately went limp.

“You didn’t hurt me,” she said gently looking up Bucky.  “I hit Steve and you removed me from the situation.”

“Are you crazy?” Bucky demanded icily.

“No, we all had to know if you would attack me,” Darcy explained. “You won’t.”

“You haven’t proven anything. I never believed Steve was in real danger.”  Bucky’s voice was still completely without inflection. He stared unblinkingly at Darcy as she sat up.

“Physically or emotionally?”  Steve asked quietly. He walked over and sat himself carefully on the arm of the couch. Bucky stopped short. He looked between Steve and Darcy then walked over to Steve and pulled him into his arms. As he allowed himself to comfort his soulmate, the first hint of anger began to appear on Bucky’s face.  Darcy was glad to see it.  

Darcy held out her hands to Steve giving him the choice to accept or reject her touch. Steve took her hand, but made no move to pull her up to join him and Bucky.

“Sorry for hurting you,” Darcy apologized to Steve, but he waved it off.

“I’m more concerned about why you did it,” Steve answered. Darcy felt terrible that Steve now had the experience of both his soulmates striking him.  When Darcy had decided to test her hypothesis she hadn’t considered the effect of Steve. Now she realized she had underestimated how much her plan would cost him.  

“I think Bucky attacked Jane to defend us,” Darcy explained. “I don’t think he will intentionally hurt me under any circumstances.”  Steve stroked Bucky’s hair as he considered Darcy’s point.

“That makes sense,” he admitted. Bucky looked unconvinced.

“What if you’re wrong?” Bucky demanded.  Darcy didn’t really have an answer.  She was satisfied that she was in no danger from Bucky, but it was far more important that Bucky believed it himself.  Darcy had no idea how to convince him.

“I don’t think she is,” Steve said. Bucky pulled away from Steve.

“I need to think about this,” Bucky said and walked to his room.  Darcy watched him go sadly.  

“Did you mean everything you yelled at me?” Steve asked quietly.  As Bucky left, he had wrapped his own arms around himself.  Darcy couldn’t believe how fragile he looked.

“About being treated as an equal?” Darcy queried. Steve nodded in response.

“Yes, but I would never have spoken so harshly under normal circumstances,” she admitted. “I’m sorry.”

“If it helps Bucky then I’m glad you did it,” Steve said just as Darcy had know he would.  It didn’t make her feel any better.

“What can I do to help you?” Darcy asked gently.

“Can you be kind to me for the rest of the day?” Steve asked hesitantly. “We all have a lot of hard discussions ahead of us tomorrow.”

“Of course,” Darcy stood up and guided Steve down onto the couch.  She cuddled herself onto his chest and pulled a soft throw blanket over the pair of them.

“How about I read you a chapter of Harry Potter and then you can help me make your favorite roast chicken and vegetables for dinner,” Darcy suggested.  When Steve agreed, she pulled up the ebook on her phone and began reading.  Bucky joined them when it was time to start cooking. They all made an effort to behave normally and draw strength for the days ahead.  They hadn’t solved anything yet, but they had agreed to move forward together.  For now, that was enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Darcy yells and pushes Steve to prove a point. He isn't physically injured, but he is emotionally hurt. The chapter ends on a hopeful note, but not everything is fixed.


	9. Repost: First holiday together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy, Steve, and Bucky celebrate Rosh Hashanah.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi All,
> 
> This is a repost of a chapter that I wrote for this challenge but published as the last chapter of Ethical Dilemma a couple weeks ago. If it looks familiar, you have probably already read it. I am moving it here so that it is with the rest of the challenge fics.
> 
> This takes place several months after the first fight chapter. 
> 
> Anika

Darcy approached her boys hesitantly. They looked so comfy cuddled together on their oversized couch that she hated to disturb them. But if she didn’t tell them, it was going to drive her crazy. As she approached, Steve smiled in welcome and Bucky lifted an arm to give her a spot to join them.

“We have been summoned to my family,” she began hesitantly. Neither Bucky nor Steve had any living family left. The first meeting with Darcy’s Mom and Step-Dad had gone well, but she wasn’t sure how they would react to Darcy’s entire clan.

“Alright,” Steve said encouragingly. “When are we going?”

“For Rosh Hashanah, in about a month,” Darcy continued. “My grandma declared that she had to inspect my new soulmates and issued a strongly worded ‘invitation’.” Darcy’s grandma escaped Poland at the start of WWII. She was a force of nature that made no apologies for her manipulations. Fortunately, she was also one of the kindest women Darcy had ever met.

“Your grandmother lives in Wisconsin?” Bucky prompted.

“Yes,” confirmed Darcy. Several members of the family had tried to convince grandma to move to a retirement community in Florida, but she had no intention of leaving the home her children had been born in. Darcy figured the 92 year old woman had earned the right to do exactly what she wanted.

“Alright,” agreed Steve. “I will request leave.”

“Now come cuddle,” ordered Bucky. Darcy accepted the invitation to come over and sprawl herself over both boys.

“You guys realize it is going to be a Jewish thing with an overwhelming number of cousins,” she warned. They hadn’t discussed religion in depth because there were so many larger issues when they first got together. Darcy though Bucky was culturally Catholic, but Steve clearly believed in something. Neither regularly attended church.

Bucky looked excited. “I used to love big family gatherings. Sometimes I would drag Stevie and laugh when he was force fed by my Aunts.” The fact that they would be the religious outsiders was apparently irrelevant.

“You are such a wee lad. Have you tried my apple crumble?” Steve imitated. “I always left your family events with a tummy ache.” Bucky laughed unrepentantly.

“Well you won’t be safe from my family either. I come by my desire to feed people naturally,” Darcy warned.

“Excellent, if you can a convenience someone to make him help with the cooking, it will be perfect,” Bucky exclaimed. Darcy promised to try, but it turned out not to be necessary. Less than an hour after they arrived, Darcy’s grandmother had recruited Steve to prepare apples for apple cake. 

When they first walked in, without knocking because family was always welcome in grandma’s house, Steve stood behind Darcy at military attention. He was clearly working to memorize the long list of people he was introduced to and match faces to stories. Grandma took one look at his stiff posture and declared he looked like he would be decent with a peeler. Without listening to Darcy’s protests, she shooed Steve into the kitchen and put him to work. It was definitely the correct call. Surrounded by chatting women and with his hands busy, Steve started to relax. Bucky and Darcy shared a look appreciating the humor of seeing Steve instantly obey every order of a petite nonagenarian. Darcy realized Bucky’s teasing about cooking had actually been a suggestion of the best way to make Steve comfortable.

Bucky propped himself idly against a wall and flirted gently with all the women who too old to take him seriously. When he was convinced that Steve and Darcy were settled in the kitchen, he drifted off to watch the teenage cousins who were engaged in a complicated european board game. When Darcy went to check on him, she found him playing a game that involving farming to feed a growing family of little wooden pieces. Based on the piles of resource chits next to his board, Darcy guessed he was winning.

By dinner time, both men had been fully absorbed into the fold. Darcy’s family loved her soulmates instantly because they make her happy. Steve appreciated that their affection for him was completely unrelated to being Captain America and Bucky reveled in being surrounded by family.


	10. First body swap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy and Bucky swap bodies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi All,
> 
> Sorry for posting so late. I had a lot of trouble filling this prompt. I swear I sat down to write a silly PWP body swap fic, but I just couldn't do it. I can't help taking inherently silly troupes too seriously. This fic contains discussion of consent issues and discomfort about temporarily being in the wrong body.
> 
> Anika

Darcy came to with Steve and herself hovering anxiously over her.

“What?” she asked herself in confusion, but the words came out in a far lower tone than she was expecting. “I sound like Bucky.”

“We’ve switched bodies,” her voice said from a mouth that looked just like hers wearing Bucky’s smirk.  It was incredibly disorienting.  Darcy raised the hand of the body she was currently inhabiting and a familiar metal appendage come into her field of view.

“How?” Darcy said faintly as she struggled to sit up.  She didn’t feel like herself.  This body was too tall and strong and male.  Darcy realized that many people might consider Bucky’s body to be an upgrade, but she far preferred her own.

“The Scarlet Witch was…” Steve began.

“Magic,” Bucky interrupted succinctly.  “We should switch back by tomorrow morning.  Until then, we can have all kinds of fun. We should go dancing. Being thrown around for tricks always looked like fun.”

“Umm.” Darcy didn’t know what to say. She was glad that Bucky was unphased by the experience. “Okay.”  Darcy held out her hands to Steve who helped her to her feet.  The world seemed out of proportion.  She was larger than she was supposed to be and her eyesight was sharper.  In addition, her balance and center of gravity were off. As she tried to take a step towards Steve she stumbled. Steve moved forward to steady her and threw an arm around her shoulder.

“Careful, Jerk,” Steve told her with a laugh and then paused.  This had to be almost as weird for him as it was for her.

“Watch how you speak to our girl,” Bucky teased. “Or I guess our boy at the moment.”

“I’m still a girl,” Darcy corrected. She wasn’t sure why it bothered her so much.  Bucky seemed to find switching bodies entertaining, but Darcy just didn’t.

“Sorry,” Bucky apologized. “I know it's weird when your body isn’t what you expect it to be.”  He looked down at Darcy’s hands and wiggled the fingers experimentally.

“You probably won’t have time to get used to it,” Steve advised. “We don’t have to go dancing if you’re uncomfortable.”

“No worries,” Darcy said. “If we are sure it is just a matter of waiting this out, I would rather be distracted.”

“Can you help me get dressed up?” Bucky asked.

“Of course,” Darcy agreed.  She spent the next half hour helping Bucky into her favorite dance outfit and doing her hair.  It was surprisingly difficult to do makeup on the non-mirror image of her face. Bucky enjoyed the entire process.  When Darcy finished, Bucky gave a couple of experimental twirls so that the skirt he was wearing flared and then he strutted out to show Steve.

Steve looked Bucky up and down appreciatively.  Then he remembered the situation and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

“You look great Bucky.”

“Thanks, Darcy did a great job dolling me up.”  Bucky looked up at Steve through his eyelashes. “Are you going to ask a girl to dance?” Steve swallowed and then gamely offered his hand to Bucky.  At Bucky’s command, Jarvis began playing music for swing dancing.

The first song was a disaster.  Bucky kept forgetting that he wasn’t leading and that his legs were shorter than he expected.  By the end of the third song, they were doing much better.  Steve was not the most graceful dancer, but what he lacked in skill he made up for in athleticism.  Bucky wanted the full experience of being swung around by his partner and Steve was doing his best to give it to him. Steve’s face wore a look on intense concentration and Bucky grinned with joy.

Darcy wondered why they had never done this before. Steve was more than capable of lifting Bucky in his own body.  Was Bucky taking advantage of the situation to have a unique experience or using it as an excuse to do something he had always wanted?

After an hour of dancing, Bucky declared it was time for a break and flopped down on the couch next to Darcy.

“That is so much fun,” Bucky enthused. “If there is a next time, we should try to manage a three way swap so I can follow in Darcy’s body and Darcy can lead in Steve’s.”

“I think I’d rather stay in my own body,” Steve protested and Darcy nodded agreement.

“You know Bucky,” Darcy began hesitantly. “There are places in New York where you and Steve could dance however you like in your own bodies.”

Bucky waved his hand dismissively. “If you want, but that’s not the point. My body was shaped into a weapon of death.  Your body is full of life. Its nice to experience that again.”  As she considered his words, Darcy thought she was beginning to understand.  Bucky viewed being in her body as a vacation from the constant reminders his body supplied of everything he had been though.  The body swap was giving him a day of freedom to be someone else.

“Then I’m glad it happened,” Darcy said.  She still felt wrong in Bucky’s skin, but seeing Bucky so relaxed more than made up for it.

“Now, I shouldn’t be the only one to take advantage of the situation,” Bucky continued. “Steve has always wanted to have sex with my body and now he can have that chance.”  Darcy and Steve shared a look of panic. On some academic level, Darcy had always wondered what it felt like to have sex as a man.  Everyone agreed male and female orgasms were different.  It would be interesting to be able to make the comparison, but she wasn’t sure she could do it.  There were just too many complications.

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea Bucky,” Steve began. “It has been years since you told me we couldn’t do that.  I’m used to it and temporarily changing the rules doesn’t seem wise.”  Darcy noticed the Steve wasn’t denying desire for Bucky’s body.  On some level she had known it was a possibility.  But she felt a non-sexual romantic love for Bucky and has assumed Steve felt the same.  That added yet another issue to the ones that had already occurred to her.

“Using someone else's body for sex is..” Darcy struggled to find a sex positive, non-judgemental way to explain why the idea made her uncomfortable.  If all three of them agreed, then it wasn’t actually wrong. That didn’t stop the idea of having sex in the body of an asexual person from pinging weirdly in her head.

Bucky seemed surprised that both Darcy and Steve were rejecting his plan. “If my asexuality was physical instead of mental and I was experiencing sexual urges for the first time, would you let me use your body to have sex with Steve?” He asked Darcy.

Darcy seriously thought about the question. “Yes, but it isn’t an analogous situation. My body frequently has sex with Steve. Also if you and Steve wanted to have a more intimate relationship in your own bodies, I would be cool with it.  Combining the two doesn’t seem like that big of a deal.”

“So the sticking point is that my body doesn’t have sex?” Bucky seemed honestly confused by the concept.  Darcy was realizing that Bucky saw himself as far more separate from his body than she did.  Even with Bucky’s mind controlling it, Darcy’s body was hers and she had strong opinions about what it did.

“Yes,” Steve confirmed. “I would never want to have sex with you while you were unconscious or drugged. This doesn’t seem all that different.”

“Does it matter that I am in favor of the idea?” Bucky asked.  He had stopped trying to talk them into the notion and was now trying to understand their refusal.

“Yes,” Darcy answered quickly because it obviously did, but Steve’s opinion was more important.  For her, having sex in Bucky’s body would be kind of like dress up and possibly a science experiment.  If Steve had wanted to do it, she probably would have eventually agreed. “Without your consent we wouldn't even be discussing it.”

“And without my consent we won’t be doing it,” Steve said definitively.  Bucky looked between Steve and Darcy, then shrugged.  He already knew he didn’t understand sex and it just wasn’t that important to him.

“So can we eat instead?” Bucky asked. “I wonder if chocolate tastes different in a woman's body.”  Perhaps it was hypocritical, but Darcy needed no urging to agree to stuff Bucky’s body full of high calorie treats.  They spent the next hour learning that their taste buds really were different while Steve egged them on.


	11. First prank war

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trio celebrates their first April Fools day

It only took one sip of coffee for Darcy to know it was going to be a crazy day. The previous evening, she had warned Bucky that the residents of the tower tended to get into the spirit of April fools day.  Last year, Clint had spent most of the day shooting everyone with nerf arrows while Tony replaced key items with high tech pranks and Natasha placed cheerful notes on each person’s most treasured possession.  Darcy didn’t want Bucky to be caught off guard by a well meant joke.  She had not anticipated him joining the festivities by replacing the sugar in the bowl by their coffee maker with salt.

Not that this was a problem.  Darcy had the perfect plan for revenge.  She pulled out her iPhone and set to work.

“Jarvis.” Darcy addressed the ceiling in her sweetest voice. “I was wondering if you could help me with a ...present for Bucky?”

“Good morning Ms. Lewis,” Jarvis responded. “I would be happy to assist you.”

“Wonderful I made a playlist for Bucky.  Could you play it for him whenever he requests music?” Darcy knew that Jarvis was aware enough to know the “Never Gonna Give You Up” on repeat was not likely be become Bucky’s new favorite mix, but she knew he would do as she requested.  Figuring it would be unfair to prank only one soulmate, Darcy painted Steve’s soap with nail polish.  

At lunch, Darcy found that the leftover pasta from diner the previous evening had been replaced with a can of spam and the milk in the kitchenette by Jane’s lab was blue. She was almost certain it was food dye, but just in case she went to get a replacement. On the way, she short sheeted the bed and put saran wrap on all the toilet seats in Bucky and Steve’s rooms. She was determined to give as good as she got.  Besides she found the innocent jokes rather charming.  The classic pranks she was giving in return might actually be new to Steve and Bucky.

She was on the way back to Jane’s lab when her phone started playing “The Star Spangled Man” instead of its usual ring tone.

“Hey Bucky,” Darcy said in greeting. “Shouldn’t you have put that song on Steve’s phone instead of mine?”

“What song?” Bucky asked.

“My new patriotic ring tone,” Darcy explained.

“I don’t know anything about your phone, but Jarvis is refusing to play any music except that annoying Rick Ashley song so I think someone doing a musical themed April Fools day.”

“Actually, the rickrolling is revenge my salty coffee this morning.”  When Bucky didn’t answer Darcy began to suspect she had misidentified the prankster.

“Have you messed with any of my food?” She asked to confirm.

“No, but I saw Steve eating the pasta I thought you were going to have for lunch,” Bucky answered.

“That rotten scamp,” Darcy explained.  “Our oh so innocent partner has been pranking me all day and I have been blaming you.”  

Bucky laughed. “How awful for you, Doll,” he cooed in fake sympathy.  “What can I do to make it better.”

“Did you you that you can make mashed potatoes look like frosting…”

 

 


	12. First time travel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Steve is sent 12 hours into the past, Darcy gets to enjoy two Steves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized that in this entire series I haven’t written anything more explicit than minor kissing. I have decided to make up for it. Because apparently I am the kind of person who takes body swap prompts seriously and uses time travel as an excuse for porn. That totally makes sense. There is a lot less Bucky in this story than in most of the other chapters, but there are two Steves so maybe that makes up for it :-)

“Ms. Lewis.” Jarvis interrupted Darcy from a boring afternoon of copy editing one of Jane’s conference proceedings. “Mr. Barnes has requested your presence in the living room of your apartment.”  Darcy was glad to take any excuse to abandon her task for another day.  She hurried home find Steve and Bucky cuddling on the couch with Steve.  Darcy blinked and looked again.  Definitely two identical Steves sitting on either side of Bucky.

“Does this mean I get to have three soulmates now?” Darcy asked excitedly.  Everyone seemed relaxed so she was going to assume the bonus Steve was due to some minor magical or scientific mishap.  

Bucky and the Steves laughed. “I’m afraid I’m only a temporary visitor,” the Steve on the left replied. “Tomorrow, Loki is going to attack and cast a spell that sends me back in time 12 hours.”

“Why?” Darcy couldn’t think of any reason Loki would want to temporarily double Captain America. Which was not to say it was an entirely useless idea.  She was already forming plans of all the wonderful ways she could take advantage of that situation.

“I think the spell was supposed to do something else,” Steve speculated. “Last time, future me talked to Jane and Thor about it this evening after dinner so I will make sure to do the same.”

Bucky made a face at the confusing tenses. “Talking about this is going to be irritating.  Why are you wearing the same clothes two days in a row?”

“Because last time it annoyed you,” Steve answered unrepentantly. “And our girl seemed to like it.” He gave Darcy a heated glance while his past self looked between the two in growing comprehension.

Bucky appeared confused until Darcy walked forward to give future Steve a passionate kiss. “We don’t have enough food in the kitchen to feed two Steves,” He announced. “Perhaps I should go grocery shopping.”  

“Yes absolutely,” Darcy agreed breathlessly.  “It should take you at least an hour to buy enough food.”

“Have fun.” Bucky gave them all a jaunty wave as he exited the room.  

Future Steve pulled Darcy onto his lap and resumed kissing her lips.  Past Steve leaned back against the arm of the couch to get a better view.

“I never have my sketch pad when I need it,” he commented.  “I have always wanted to draw Darcy in these moments but I can never see the right angles.”

“And our Darling can be a little distracting,” other Steve replied. “But I would enjoy keeping her occupied while you draw.” He brought up his hands to release Darcy hair from its practical ponytail and mussed it slightly before grabbing a handful and using it to pull Darcy back in.

“Yes please,” Darcy agreed enthusiastically.  Steve was always so sexy when he was concentrating on his art.  To have that focus trained on her while he was also pleasuring her sounded dizzyingly good. Both Steve chuckled at her eagerness.  

“I’ll just go get my supplies,” Steve replied. The other Steve had no intention of waiting for him to get set up.  He started unbuttoning Darcy’s blouse while delicately nibbling her neck.  Having a soulmate with superhero reflexes and coordination had many advantages during sex.  By the time Steve returned with his sketchpad and colored pencils, Darcy was topless and starting to writhe on Steve’s lap.

“You are gorgeous, Darling,” he groaned.  As he began to sketch, the other Steve started massaging her thighs and pushing her skirt up to her waist. Darcy put her hands in Steve’s hair and began directing his head lower.

“Is there something you want, Doll,” he asked teasingly.

“Suck her breasts,” artist Steve suggested.  “I want to see her moaning with her head thrown back.”

“Fuck, yes,” Darcy cried.  Steve urged her to lean back and let his hands support her upper body as he kissed his way down to her nipples. Thrusting out her chest in anticipation, Darcy began to babble encouragement.

“Perfect,” Steve said. Darcy could hear him move his chair to get a better view of the proceedings. “You are so perfect.” Darcy looked over to see his pencil moving rapidly over the paper before the closer Steve recaptured her attention with a well placed lick. Really, it was impossible to divide her focus when her soulmate was driving her crazy with kisses, licks, and the occasional gentle nip.  Darcy lost track of time until the artistic Steve interrupted.

“Can you turn her around?  God, I want to see all of her.”  The closer Steve helped her reposition herself so that she was sitting in his lap facing the other Steve with his knees between hers spreading her legs wide.  Darcy laid her head back on Steve’s shoulder.  He ran his hands up her legs before hooking her fingers into her panties and pulling them down around her knees. Exposed fully to the stretching Steve, Darcy felt her channel flood with wetness.  He was looking at her with heating eyes.  One hand drew while the other massaged himself though his pants.  Darcy could feel the other Steve’s penis rock hard against her rear.

“Stread her for me and then slowly dip in a finger,” Steve directed.  Darcy cried out as his counterpart obeyed. Steve’s rough finger moved in and out at a torturous speed.

“More, please more,” Darcy begged. “I want to be full of you.”  Both Steves moaned so Darcy kept talking. “I want fingers in my pussy and a dick in my mouth.  I could suck you off as you fucked me or I could make out with you as you ate me out.”

“Not yet Darling,” Steve said warmly as he drew. “I have to finish at least the rough outlines first.  In a couple days, I will have you pose so I can fill in the details.”  He was looking at her as if she was the most amazing thing.  

“But I need you,” Darcy cried as the closer Steve moved his other hand down to start massaging her clit while he mouth nibbled the side of her neck. “Please.”

“You should give her a little more,” the artist advised. “She looks so beautiful when she comes. I almost can’t wait to see it.” In response, future Steve sped up.  His fingers moved in and out of her clet in long deep stroaks while his other hand stroked her clip. Darcy felt her orgasm begin to build.  He opened her eyes to see that the Steve across the room ha unzipped his pants and was absently stroking himself as he drew.  Curse that ridiculously sexy ambidextrous man. He looked up, caught her eyes, and blew her a kiss.  Being watched had never been one of Darcy’s kinks, but it was really working for her.

“I’m getting so close,” she moaned.

“Come for me, Darling,” Steve commanded.  “I want to see it.”  Steve’s fingers gave a little twist and Darcy felt her orgasm crash over her. She moaned so loudly it was almost a scream and then relaxed into Steve’s arms.

“That was so good,” she slurred feeling slightly drugged with endorphins.

“I’m glad,” the watcher replied.  “But you aren’t done yet.  Would you like Steve to fuck you into the couch?”  The Steve behind her didn’t wait for her enthusiastic agreement before he tipped her over onto her back and started stripping off his clothes.  Darcy watched appreciatively for a couple seconds before deciding she would like to be naked herself.  By the time she had removed all her clothing, Steve was standing before her completely nude.  Darcy reached up her arms in invitation.  

Steve arranged himself on top of her and entered her in one long stroke.  Having just come, Darcy was able to enjoy watching Steve’s pleasure with an unclouded head.  She wrapped her legs around his and encouraged him by stroking his back.  “I love feeling you inside me Steve.  You are so good. Better than fingers could ever be.”  Steve began to pick up the pace of his strokes.  

“It just about drove me crazy to watch myself make love to you,” he confessed. “I couldn’t wait for my turn to be the one inside you.”  

His past self moaned in agreement. “I am looking forward to fighting Loki for the first time ever.”

“In just 12 hours you will be here inside our Darling,” Steve replied. “Feeling her clench around you.”

“But don’t feel that you have to wait,” Darcy urged. “We could make a Darcy sandwich.  Good for everybody.”  She was excited to see the art, but that didn’t mean she was willing to waste the opportunity for double Steve sex.  Unless he thought it was weird.  Was it weird?  Darcy decided she did not care and went back to fantasizing possible positions.

“I’m almost done,” Steve said as his pencil moved at an increasing pace.  Darcy noticed the hand in on his dick had sped up as well. “Wait for me, don’t come until I join you.”  

The Steve inside her did not seem to be a fan of this plan. “How did I even last when she feels this good? You draw too slow.”

Steve chuckled, “One more minute.  I know you can do it. Focus on our girl.”

The strokes inside her slowed as Steve propped himself up on an elbow so he could reach a hand down to rub Darcy’s clit. “Yes, mmm, more,” Darcy moaned.  After an indeterminate amount of time while Darcy’s arousal grew, she heard a chair scrape back as Steve dropped his sketch pad and crossed the room to join them.  He knelt next to the couch and turned her head with a gentle hand on her cheek.  Darcy lunged forward to kiss him as the other Steve began nibbling her neck. It was hard to tell which hands belonged to which Steve, but Darcy had hands massaging her breasts, fingers teasing her clit, and one holding her head firmly in place so a tongue could explore her mouth. Darcy heard a strangled cry as Steve gave a couple of sharp short thrusts and emptied himself inside her.  The feeling of him pulsing pushed her over the edge.  Steve’s mouth swallowed her scream as her second orgasm of the night flowed through her.  She relaxed into the couch for a second before remembering there was still a Steve in need of relief.

“Would you like a hand?” she offered.

“I would like to be sucked off by the mouth that kept trying to distract me from my drawing by making the sexiest noises,” he suggested.  

The other Steve got up off of Darcy and took up the discarded sketch pad. “Sit on the couch with your legs spread and let our girl give you a blow job.”  They both hastened to follow his instructions and soon Darcy heard the soft scratch of pencil against paper resume.  Darcy concentrated on the closer Steve.  It didn’t take long before he was filling her mouth. Pulling off she rested her head against his knee while he stroked her hair.

“Thank you, Darcy,” he said lovingly.  After a couple minutes, Steve finished his drawing and came over to join them.  He lifted Darcy into his arms and settled them onto the couch.  The other Steve curled up to lay his head in Darcy’s lap.  It was a common cuddle position for Darcy, Steve, and Bucky. However with Bucky they were usually wearing clothes.  

Darcy must have drifted off to sleep because she woke up to hear Bucky entering.  He placed two heaping bags of groceries on the counter and then picked up Steve’s sketch book off the floor.  He flipped through the pages examining all the drawings closely.  Darcy wondered how they looked to him.  Was he admiring Steve’s artistic talent or puzzled by the emotions displayed in the art?

“Well, it looks like you guys had fun,” he said with a smirk.  “Now one of the Steve’s gets to cuddle with me and the other can help Darcy cook diner.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! All comments and questions are welcome. I also play on [tumblr](http://ankabit.tumblr.com/). Stop by and say hi :)


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